Scripture for this Sunday: Romans 8:26-39; Matthew 13:31-33,44-52 I was invited to attend a memorial service in the Cathedral of Menorca, in Ciutadella, for the victims of COVID-19 in Spain. In conjunction with this Sunday’s reading from Romans, in which the Apostle Paul asserts that “noting can separate us from the love of God,” I […]
Archive | Themes
Theme of each week.
Theme for Sunday, 19 July 2020
Scripture for this Sunday: Genesis 28.10-19a; Matthew 13.24-30,36-43 There are a number of Talaiotic sites in Menorca – prehistoric settlements that in some cases show evidence of having been occupied in one way or another for more than 2000 years. What most of these settlements show is evidence of places of worship. In other words, […]
Theme for Sunday, 12 July 2020
Scripture for this Sunday: Genesis 25.19-34; Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 I am not entirely sure about all the details of Menorca’s inheritance practices, but apparently disposal of the property of a deceased person requires the consent of all the heirs. It is supposed to guarantee equality, but it sounds like an opportunity for all sorts of […]
Worship for Sunday 12 July
At 11:00 (Central European Summer Time) on Sunday, 12 July, the Eucharist will be celebrated behind closed doors at Santa Margarita. Online worship will continue indefinitely, even when the church opens for worship in person (for which there is no date at present). You are invited to share in this worship by following the words […]
Theme for Sunday, 5 July 2020
Scripture for this week: Romans 7:15-25a; Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 My wife, who used to be a radio DJ in California, will tell you that it’s deadly to focus too much on something that’s not to be said on the radio. It lodges in the brain and bursts forth despite all attempts at suppression! It’s an […]
Theme for Sunday, 28 June 2020
Scripture for this Sunday: Romans 6.12-23; Matthew 10.40-42 The beaches in Menorca are – at the moment – mostly well-spaced and clean, the cleanliness being the result of volunteer effort. It’s rather a contrast with the crowded scenes from the south coast of England last weekend – and images the following day of litter and […]
Theme for Sunday, 21 June 2020
Scripture for this Sunday: Genesis 21.8-21; Psalm 86.1-10; Romans 6.1b-11; Matthew 10.24-39 There is a chapel on the road from Mahón to Fornells in Menorca, the Ermita de Fatima. I was told when I first came to Menorca that it was customarily the church where couples would go for a wedding if there had been […]
Theme for Sunday, 14 June 2020
Scripture: Genesis 18.1-15 (Abraham & Sarah entertain three visitors); Matthew 9.35-10.8 (Jesus commissions and sends his apostles) Abraham and Sarah were nomadic people, wanderers – pilgrims in a way. What was the goal of their pilgrimage? Perhaps a clue is in one of the collects of the Church of England for ‘Ordinary Time,’ that states […]
Theme for Trinity Sunday, 7 June 2020
Scripture for Trinity Sunday: Isaiah 40.12-17, 27-31; Matthew 28.16–20 Connections can be fascinating. Not just the obvious points of trivia, such as the end points of the Sydney Harbour Bridge (Dawes Point and Milsons Point), or even more esoteric connections, such as the link between Devonshire and Derbyshire in Chatsworth House, but the way that […]
Theme for Pentecost, 31 May 2020
Scripture for this Sunday: Acts 2.1-21; John 20.19-23 During the traditional procession of the Via Crucis, or Way of the Cross, through Es Castell a few years ago, I found myself disturbed by the way that there were people in cafes and bars, or on the streets, either oblivious to what was passing, or just […]